Famous (now) actors who like to forget Crossroads

[Daniel Freeman]

Inspired by something Hampstead said on the 'extras' thread.
David Jason seems to be well-known for 'not mentioning' his time on Crossroads. I don't even remember it anyway. As if he is ashamed of it. I don't know about Malcolm MacDowell either.
But I HAVE noticed that such as Sue Nicholls spouts off about her memorable times in the show, and how she loved it. Between Crossroads and Corrie - I only remember her in Pipkins and Rentaghost. But she is obviously an appreciative actress!
Jane Asher has been on numerous chat-shows over the years - not ONCE has Crossroads been mentioned, only Holby City and her cakes!
Gabrielle Drake came across as a bit snobby on that Crossroads 21st Documentary....when she said she was doing it for "art", but I think that was tongue in cheek. (after all - it was better than that Purple Wig and two-inch eyelashes in UFO!).
Sherrie Hewson has always mentioned now and again - and proud of it.
I believe Johnny Briggs slated the show at one time (when he was securely safe at Corrie!)
I cannot think of any more ATM - can anyone else? I'll have to come back to it.

[DJB]

When asked about the show,Jane Asher is always happy to talk about it-I've seen and heard interviews where she says she loved it.

[oorshughie]

Elaine Paige was in Crossroads(before my time) never heard talking about it.

Doctor Who's Wendy Padbury (Zoe) was also in the orginal Crossorads,sadly all her and Elaine's stuff wiped,I think.

Anne Reid (Corrie's Val Barlow) was on "Des and Mel" a few years ago,and when Des metioned Corrie,she went "Oh you're not going

mention that",I knew she's had a very successful post Corrie career,but was quite surprised at her reluctance to talk about it.

[DJB]

I've heard Elaine mention it a couple of times.

Re.Anne Reid. Yes,I've heard her do that in a number of interviews. I know that she attended the Street's 50th Anniversary Party last year,so she doesn't have anything against the programme. She's had a very sucessful post-Street career,and gets frustrated that people still want to talk about a part she played more than 40 years ago.

[Maria No. 1.]

I've heard Elaine mention Crossroads too.

[oorshughie]

Thats good Maria,Terrance Dicks,Dr Who script writer in the Petwee era and the writer of the great Target Dr Who books and of course

written a few Who's too said he used to keep shy of his involvement with Crossroads but he knows now its a national treasure or

worlds to that effect.

[Mike of CAS]

Elaine has brought Crossroads up several times on her Radio 2 show, I guess its TV people just don't ask her about it often, though I do remember her on This Morning and Philip asked her about Crossroads and she said she played a waitress and was a girlfriend to Sandy.

So I don't think she's one to hide it.

Johnny Briggs did slag it off, well half slag it off, when he was in Corrie. But I think thats more a Greedy Granada thing who for some reason since the late 80s have felt insecure about Crossroads and its success that they try to get it knocked where possible. Also playing on the friendly rivalry between Sidney and Lew. But they seem to forget the friendly part of that.

Once he left, in fact in his leaving interview from Corrie, Briggs told the real truth that it was Crossroads that got him the Corrie part. And showed back in the 1970s the Corrie and Crossroads teams were far from unfriendly and were co-operative.

[oorshughie]

I was lucky enough to meet Johnny Briggs on his last few days on Corrie,great guy,so friendly.

[Daniel Freeman]

From what Mike said a couple of posts back - I truly believe that the Corrie and Crossroads teams were friendly. I think the aggro was between Grumpy Granada & ATV!  I used to think that the only competition was BBC v ITV....I never imagined the ITV regions were battling amongst themselves as well, naive that I am.

[Maria No. 1.]

Daniel, the proof of rivalry between Granada & ATV being that Granada wouldn't show Crossroads till 1972 and then we were one year behind.  In 1974 it was taken off for a short time too.

Granada definitely liked to mess with Crossroads, in order what they saw in protecting Coronation Street.

[oorshughie]

I remember when Roger died,the cast of Corrie sent a wreath which I thought was a very nice thing to do,remember seeing that on the news.

[Daniel Freeman]

My memory is a bit hazy back in the late 60's 70's (It's hazy NOW!!)  But I seem to remember BEFORE YTV started - we received signals from Granada. No Crossroads. When Yorkshire TV started up - I remember my mum sitting down to watch this introduction to a new afternoon soap. I was only about 10 or 11 at the time....I remember Meg introducing us all to her Motel before it started. It certainly wasn't that one we've all seen on the DVD - that was AFTER Sandy's accident, this was definitely prior to all that. It started at 4.15pm and Sandy was still on his feet for a good six months or so. So even YTV stepped in ahead of Granada. They had their own soap Emmerdale Farm two years later, but they obviously weren't scared of Crossroads being more popular - completely different times when they were broadcast.

[DJB]

The London area also weren't mad on Crossroads,taking it off for a while,so I don't buy the argument that Granada's attitude was to do with Coronation St. The Street was a prime time drama serial while Crossroads was unashamedly an early evening soap opera.  Granada broadcast other soap operas during that period. Crossroads only became a ratings rival in 1975,by which time Granada continued to show the series. Even then it never seemed to rate particularly well in the Granada region-in comparison to the rest of the country. So I don't feel that they would have ever felt particularly threatened by Crossroads.

[Mike of CAS]

London took it off because it was a new company coming in with an all-new image for Thames which was part of changing the schdule. Granada was not.

[Aston Cross]

That's right - and when Thames did bring it back, they were six months behind until the wedding in 1975.

Back to the subject in hand, isn't Diane Keen a bit reluctant to talk about her stint on Crossroads too?